Lerma: Conducting the midfield, Selhurst Park, Colombian dreams & London traffic

But on occasion, it’s the journey that is the struggle. “The traffic is quite heavy!” suggests Jefferson Lerma, prompted for any aspects of moving to London he has not enjoyed.

“In most cases, I prefer not to go into Central London – it’s easier not to!”

This interview originally appeared in the Crystal Palace v Aston Villa matchday programme. You can shop for programmes by clicking HERE.

Good thing, then, that 18 months after completing his move to Crystal Palace from Bournemouth, Lerma has all the characteristics of one of South London’s own: passionate, but disciplined; diligent, but driven to succeed.

We are being glib, of course, to begin on that footing. Lerma’s journey to the top of the game is one to admire, starting in the modest surroundings of El Cerrito, a town of 25,000 residents, from where he was scouted playing a match in his local village.

Offered a trial at nearby Huila, with few spots available and 120 others competing for them, Lerma earned his stripes.

The challenges continued, but Lerma’s footballing quality, and determination to change his life, shone through. Those same credentials have carried him to the verge of 300 top-flight appearances across spells in Colombia, Spain and England.

There is no better judge of such matters than the fans – and Lerma’s, wherever he has played, have appreciated him.

“The truth is that when you do your work with passion, with love, it is very easy to connect with the fans,” the midfielder explains.

“During this year-and-a-half I have been at Crystal Palace, the fans have respected me, they have treated me well, and they have shown me extraordinary love.

"I believe that nothing comes for free – everything is for the performance that you show on the field – and I always have gratitude for the people here, because they are always supporting me.

“Regardless of the position of the team here, you see the stadium full and people applauding you. Even if you have lost, they applaud you.

"That it is impossible to find in other countries of the world – but I think that, when you give everything, those people will give you that love in return.”

Ahead of Palace’s match against Manchester City, Lerma stands on 153 Premier League appearances – 100 with Bournemouth, and 53 over his season-and-a-half in the Eagles’ red and blue.

In that time, he has made over 1,000 recoveries in England’s top-flight; won 770 of his 1,428 duels for possession; won 306 of 542 aerial battles; and, to move his team forwards, completed some 297 long balls.

These are the numbers of a competitor. “I think that the Premier League has shown that no matter how your last game goes, before facing the next one, no matter how hard it is, you have to be ready and prepared to compete,” the 30-year-old explains.

“It has been quite difficult with all the things we have seen during this season, but it is changing, little by little. We are working to be back in the top positions and to finish the season in the best way possible, and to be able to enjoy the beautiful moments that football has in store for us.

“Our goal is to be in the top positions of the table. This season, we have faced many setbacks, but we still believe that we have the capacity and the quality to be there. We have to spell out that this is the Premier League; things change quickly. The table is moving all the time.

“We have had many injuries, but in the last few weeks I think we have been able to find much of the team in good condition. It is a day-to-day struggle, every game, so we are always preparing to fight head-to-head with any team.

“We are going to give it our all. I think we have the quality and character to continue to improve each game. We have to concentrate – and believe in ourselves.”

Lerma finds it easy to draw that belief from his manager, Oliver Glasner, who recently celebrated one year since taking charge of Crystal Palace. “The manager is ambitious,” the midfielder explains.

“We have not been able to express all that he wants due to certain circumstances this season, but it is impossible to doubt his ability.

“I have the opportunity to enjoy his knowledge every day, and we hope that one day we can show 100 percent what his vision is. He has a strong style of play in which you always have to press, and always move forward with intensity.

“I trust each of my teammates. It is a growing team here. The coach is always injecting us with that motivation, that intensity, and he will always go to the next step with us. We hope that God rewards us with three points – but we always have to work.”

Palace have now enjoyed four consecutive home victories in all competitions, and for Lerma, Selhurst Park remains symbolic of why he has come to love English football so much.

“It is a beautiful environment, an incredible energy,” Lerma says of Palace’s 100-year-old ground. “I have had the opportunity to invite friends to live this experience and after living it it, they tell me how incredible it is they feel.

“In English clubs, in the Premier League, the second division, wherever you play football, the passion, that harmony that exists in the stadium, despite the rivalries… there is always that respect.”

There could be no better advocate for Palace, then, than Lerma, when contact was first made a year ago regarding the potential signing of compatriot Daniel Muñoz – another fans’ favourite recently celebrating a year in South London, having embodied the same battling qualities as his Colombia international teammate.

“It is a great joy,” Lerma smiles. “I have been in a European football club almost 10 years, and this is just the second time I’ve had the opportunity to share the experience with a compatriot” – the midfielder previously played alongside Mauricio Cuero at Levante – “and I have enjoyed it a lot this last year in London.

“Before he arrived, I told him what the club was like: it’s very good here, very pleasant, and everyone is always available and wanting to help.

"At that moment we also needed a player like Dani on that side, and the club also asked me about him and how he was as a person. I already knew him through the national team, so I told both sides what each other was like.

“Dani is a person who trains well, who works well, who always wants more. His story has been even more challenging than mine. For example, I made my professional debut at 18 – he made his at 21.

"To see his growth is wonderful, and it is motivation for our children – and for all children who believe in footballers – that everything is about persistence, to work, to always want more.

“Thanks to God, we were able to complete that signing, and now that we have, we have been enjoying the experience with our families. We know what free days we have, so we plan and go out together with our families.

“We organise meals and share great moments and holidays, and that makes settling easier.”

Muñoz, Lerma and Liverpool’s Luis Díaz came together over the winter to celebrate Christmas, with their families cooking a traditional Colombian lechona dish – pork stuffed with rice, peas, onions and spices – “a brilliant time with good people.”

It is little wonder that Palace’s Colombian contingent are so close, having also been on a remarkable journey with their national team.

Under Nestor Lorenzo, Los Cafeteros recorded their best-ever run of 28 games unbeaten between February 2022 and July 2024, Lerma and Muñoz capped 19 and 22 times respectively in that time.

That sequence came to an end, agonisingly, in the Copa América Final in Miami Gardens last summer, where a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Argentina denied Colombia just their second ever major trophy.

But both Palace men made their mark en route, scoring in the opening group-stage win over Paraguay; Muñoz later netted his second of the tournament against Brazil, and Lerma did so with a semifinal winner over Uruguay.

“There were many games where the national team rose to the challenge,” Lerma recalls fondly.

“We are all aiming for the moon. We want glory. We want glory for us and for our country. And I think we have shown that we have the conditions to achieve that.

“We had the opportunity to play in a final, where Colombia had the ability to show its football in the Copa América. Unfortunately, the final did not go as we hoped – but these are lessons that strengthen us for the future.

“I believe in the national team. Every player who gets called up has the opportunity to be part of this process. I think that we all have the same feeling that we are going to fight, and we are going to win.

“I think that everything that has happened during all this time brings lessons. They are lessons which strengthen us, and make us work harder for what is to come.”

Perhaps we were not being so glib, then: the struggle really is the journey, and every moment – even those spent stuck in Central London traffic – an opportunity to reflect, learn lessons, and look forward.

Lerma himself says it best, when asked for his advice for any aspiring young footballers: “Be disciplined, be hungry for your dreams, be 100 percent committed – and do not give up.

"Everything is possible for those who believe and keep their feet on the ground."